Opponents of a proposed smelter project near Newport are celebrating a victory.
Pend Oreille County commissioners have rejected a comprehensive plan amendment which would have changed the public lands designation in the county to rural lands, a step that was seen as opening the door for industrial use outside of the urban growth areas. The plan would have allowed the construction of a controversial silicon smelter just outside of Newport.
Opponents, such as Phyllis Kardos of the group Responsible Growth Northeast Washington, are delighted with the vote, but at the same time holding their breath for the next step in the process.
“I was somewhat surprised but, knowing they are working on this same thing in the 2020 comp plan update, I’m not surprised because they’re going to be addressing this again down the road in a few months,” Kardos said.
Kardos says the commission vote gives her group time to plan their next steps. She says members have seen the preliminary mapping that the planning commission has drawn up regarding the new comp plan and the land owned by PacWest had already been designated with the new public lands designation.
She says once that happens, a mandatory review of the environmental impacts of the proposed smelter will need to be conducted.
“We will hold the county’s nose to the fire, and make sure that the maximum potential impact of that proposed smelter is undertaken,” said Kardos.
PacWest Silicon has indicated it has been waiting to proceed until after the county rezones the property it has purchased adjacent to town. The company says it intends to build a silicon smelter that would employ about 200 workers.
Company officials say they have invested 27 million dollars into the project so far.